workers, worker's families and supplies followed close
behind. They would all stay until the last of the galnon crystals
were found. Then they would pack up and move on to the next
planet.
The Super figured it would take about six
months to finish the job at Galnon Station #41. Jake and Arr were
hired for the duration.
Chapter 21
Arr sat in the shade with his back against his and
Jake's cubical. The climate control system inside was on the fritz
again. It had been broken down or hardly running ever since they
arrived almost a month ago. He left Jake softly snoring on his bunk
across the room to go outside. Arr came to the conclusion that Jake
could sleep anywhere, any time.
It wasn't much better out here except you
didn't have to listen to the ventilation system cough and groan and
it wasn't so confining. Jake brought them to a truly miserable
planet.
Arr looked out over the terrain. It was
solid rock. Nothing grew here, not a tree, not a bush, not even a
single blade of grass. The planet was between its two suns thirty
of its thirty hours a day. The temperature never fell below 120
degrees. Arr's lips were cracked. He was always hot and sticky. His
nose was so dried up he felt he would probably never get his sense
of smell back, but then again, maybe there was an advantage in that
if applied to the thought of being Jake's partner. There was no
water on this piece of rock. All water flown in by The Company was
rationed like everything else.
The mining company commissary sold all the
items it felt were needed for survival in this forsaken place.
Every man, woman and child was issued ration tickets for food,
water, clothing etc., each week. Each ticket was labeled for a
particular item and a quantity. If you used up your ration tickets
you went without. The Company determined exactly what was needed
for sustaining their workers at a particular performance level.
They also determined how much could conceivably be brought in
versus making a decent profit for the mining enterprise. Transfer,
trading or sale of your tickets to another, other than a family
member, was strictly prohibited. Enforcing this last rule was one
of Arr and Jake's duties as security for the station along with
preventing pilfering from the planet of the precious galnon
crystals.
Arr couldn't see how people lived like this
all their lives. He talked to some of the workers. They said these
were normal conditions when working for The Company. Galnon only
formed in certain kinds of rock. The rock was almost always found
on planets like this one. The workers traveled as families,
children and all. Arr felt sorry for the kids. There was no place
to play. No shade trees to climb, no lakes to swim in, no grass to
lie on. Due to their environment they were unusual children, quiet
and thoughtful. Mostly they read and drew pictures of things they
had only seen in books.
There was a family of Darills at the station
whose daughter took a shine to Arr almost the moment he arrived.
She was as dark as Arr was light. She had dark hair, eyes and skin.
Her name was Neena and she was a mute from birth. She spoke to him
with large expressive brown eyes that reminded him of Carrie's, but
Neena was only six years old.
The child followed him around like a young
dar-dolf. She never tired of putting her arm or leg next to his and
comparing the color as she stroked the short soft hair. When her
mother would scold her for bothering the security guard she would
apologize to him in some sign language he was just beginning to
understand than she would skip off as though she was living the
life of a princess. She was a very special child. The one child
allowed a worker family.
The whistle on top of the processing plant
blew the rising call. The actions of everyone on the planet were
governed by the whistles. There were whistles for rising, meals,
breaks and quitting time. There were emergency whistles for when
the drills hit a lethal gas deposit and there were whistles
behind. They would all stay until the last of the galnon crystals
were found. Then they would pack up and move on to the next
planet.
The Super figured it would take about six
months to finish the job at Galnon Station #41. Jake and Arr were
hired for the duration.
Chapter 21
Arr sat in the shade with his back against his and
Jake's cubical. The climate control system inside was on the fritz
again. It had been broken down or hardly running ever since they
arrived almost a month ago. He left Jake softly snoring on his bunk
across the room to go outside. Arr came to the conclusion that Jake
could sleep anywhere, any time.
It wasn't much better out here except you
didn't have to listen to the ventilation system cough and groan and
it wasn't so confining. Jake brought them to a truly miserable
planet.
Arr looked out over the terrain. It was
solid rock. Nothing grew here, not a tree, not a bush, not even a
single blade of grass. The planet was between its two suns thirty
of its thirty hours a day. The temperature never fell below 120
degrees. Arr's lips were cracked. He was always hot and sticky. His
nose was so dried up he felt he would probably never get his sense
of smell back, but then again, maybe there was an advantage in that
if applied to the thought of being Jake's partner. There was no
water on this piece of rock. All water flown in by The Company was
rationed like everything else.
The mining company commissary sold all the
items it felt were needed for survival in this forsaken place.
Every man, woman and child was issued ration tickets for food,
water, clothing etc., each week. Each ticket was labeled for a
particular item and a quantity. If you used up your ration tickets
you went without. The Company determined exactly what was needed
for sustaining their workers at a particular performance level.
They also determined how much could conceivably be brought in
versus making a decent profit for the mining enterprise. Transfer,
trading or sale of your tickets to another, other than a family
member, was strictly prohibited. Enforcing this last rule was one
of Arr and Jake's duties as security for the station along with
preventing pilfering from the planet of the precious galnon
crystals.
Arr couldn't see how people lived like this
all their lives. He talked to some of the workers. They said these
were normal conditions when working for The Company. Galnon only
formed in certain kinds of rock. The rock was almost always found
on planets like this one. The workers traveled as families,
children and all. Arr felt sorry for the kids. There was no place
to play. No shade trees to climb, no lakes to swim in, no grass to
lie on. Due to their environment they were unusual children, quiet
and thoughtful. Mostly they read and drew pictures of things they
had only seen in books.
There was a family of Darills at the station
whose daughter took a shine to Arr almost the moment he arrived.
She was as dark as Arr was light. She had dark hair, eyes and skin.
Her name was Neena and she was a mute from birth. She spoke to him
with large expressive brown eyes that reminded him of Carrie's, but
Neena was only six years old.
The child followed him around like a young
dar-dolf. She never tired of putting her arm or leg next to his and
comparing the color as she stroked the short soft hair. When her
mother would scold her for bothering the security guard she would
apologize to him in some sign language he was just beginning to
understand than she would skip off as though she was living the
life of a princess. She was a very special child. The one child
allowed a worker family.
The whistle on top of the processing plant
blew the rising call. The actions of everyone on the planet were
governed by the whistles. There were whistles for rising, meals,
breaks and quitting time. There were emergency whistles for when
the drills hit a lethal gas deposit and there were whistles
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